LIVHEBE LUTENDO – MUDAU – The Mothibistad Regional Court has sentenced Katlego Kingsley Langa, to life imprisonment for raping infants. During the period between 2012 to 2016, in the areas of Mothibistad and Wrenchville, which are villages close to the town of Kuruman, the accused had a modus operandi where he would approach little children on the street, often on their way to the shop, promised them, sweets, from the shop and asked them to accompany him.
The accused would then lead them to his house, a public toilet, or a sheltered area and attempt to commit a sexual offence to them and/or rape them. The victims’ ages ranged from four (4) to nine (9) years old and were primarily girls but there was also a boy victim. Investigations led the Police to identify the accused, as a potential serial sexual offender, and the dockets against him were transferred to the Northern Cape Provincial Sexual Offences Unit. Four dockets of the accused were brought to court simultaneously, to be heard together and the accused was charged with 3 counts of rape and 1 count of attempted rape/an attempt to commit a sexual offence.
Looking at the overwhelming evidence against the accused, he made admissions in terms of Section 220 of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977. The Accused admitted fully to two offences, rape (count 4) and an attempt to commit a sexual offence (count 2). The accused, even though charged with another count of rape (count 1), was found guilty of an attempt to commit a sexual offence. On the charge where the accused was charged with rape (count 4), he was discharged in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977, due to insufficient evidence against him.
The court sentenced the accused to 10 year’s direct imprisonment in count one, 10 year’s direct imprisonment in count two, and in count three the court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment. Sentences were ordered not to run concurrently, and his name will also be added to the National Register of Sex Offenders. He was declared unfit to work with children and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The Director of Public Prosecution in the Northern Cape acknowledges the conviction and sentencing of this perpetrator of Gender-Based Violence against children.
